NEW DELHI: Kyle Verreynne etched his name into the history books by becoming the first South African wicket-keeper to score a Test century on Bangladeshi soil.
His landmark performance came on Tuesday during the opening Test in Dhaka as he surpassed Mark Boucher’s previous best knock of 71 by a South African keeper against Bangladesh in their home conditions.
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Verreynne, who has been an emerging talent for South Africa, reached the milestone in style and celebrated by bowing toward the team dugout.
This was the second Test hundred of his career, further cementing his reputation as a dependable middle-order batter.
Before this match, Verreynne had accumulated 719 runs in 18 Test matches, averaging 27.65, with one century to his name.
The wicket-keeper’s century proved pivotal as South Africa fought back from a challenging position, extending their lead to 202 runs by the end of the African batting on Day 2.
Verreynne found strong support from Wiaan Mulder, who struck a gritty 54 with eight boundaries, registering his maiden Test half-century.
Their crucial seventh-wicket partnership steadied South Africa after they resumed the day at 140/6, tackling Bangladesh’s spinners with smart sweeps and reverse sweeps.
In the first innings, Bangladesh’s batting faltered as they were bowled out for just 106 on Day 1, but Taijul Islam’s 5/49 kept the hosts in the contest. On Day 2, however, Taijul’s spin was ineffective as he could not extend his wicket’s tally but leaked around 73 runs more.
With Verreynne’s 114, South Africa appear to be the favourites in this opening Test, with the second and final match of the series set to begin on October 29 in Chittagong.
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